From lockdown to fandom, Shuang Li’s circular tracks are charting new directions

Born in 1990 and raised in Wuyishan City in southeastern China, Shuang Li remembers feeling like she’d never related to anything more in her life than when she discovered American punk and emo bands as a teen. Thinking about it in 2023, she understands why: “All these bands were kids from suburbia in America and their songs were all about getting out of there”. Indeed, according to the artist, the only lyrics she could understand back then were those along the lines of “I wanna get out of here”. It resonated with a desire to escape both her surroundings and her body, which she channelled by savouring the limited time she was permitted online. Until, that is, she gravitated towards one band in particular – My Chemical Romance – and learned English through their songs.